Obama's TV ratings: One-fifth tuned in

by Mark Silva and updated

Barack Obama bought a half-hour of prime-time campaign TV on four of the five broadcast networks, in addition to a few cable TV networks, but still nearly 80 percent of all households in the biggest markets managed to tune into something else.

But he beat Ross Perot.

Overall, among the networks that presented Obama's "infomercial'' last night, 21.7 percent of all households in the 56 big markets tuned in, Nielsen reports.

All told, Nielsen reports, <strong>33.5 million people watched Obama's infomercial, the simulcast aired on CBS, FOX, NBC, Univision, BET, MSNBC, and TV One between 8pm and 8:30pm EDT. " On an average Wednesday night,'' Nielsen notes, "these networks draw a combined average of 30.3 million average viewers during that half-hour.''

In comparison, the final debate between Obama and John McCain in the presidential contest drew 38.3 percent of all households in the top 56 local TV markets. The candidates' first debate drew 34.7 percent, the second 42 percent.

The last presidential candidate to air a paid simulcast was H. Ross Perot, in his second run for the White House in 1996. That drew a 16.8 percent rating, and 22.7 million viewers for Perot that year.

Obama's biggest audience last night: Baltimore.

Nearly one third of all households - 31.3 percent - tuned in there.

The lowest, Portland, Ore.: 14.2 percent.